And don't forget "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare- the Amazon review reads in part "A thoroughly exciting and rewarding Newbery Medal winner and ALA Notable Children's Book, Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond brings this frightening period of witch hysteria to life."  - I first read this book in junior high and am on my third copy because it gets re-read and lent out so often- a small book and a quick read, but would go well as a compare/contrast to another book dealing with the witch hunt phenom

 

My mother read this to me when I was small and growing up in Wethersfield, CT, where the book takes place. Then we spent a day exploring the various sites in the book- such as the church, the Cove, etc. Was an amazing link between book, history and my life. So maybe a great idea would be to pick a historical book from your town and then instead of sitting and discussing the book, do a tour of the book's scenes.

 

We also did a tour of the Met with the Mixed up Files, but then my mom took us to the Hillstead Museum in Farmington, CT- she said that is what Mrs Frankweiler's house was based on. No clue if that was real, but I thought it was at the time.